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Celebrate Everything You Do

By Alethea Fitzpatrick, December 3, 2013

Last week I talked about my favorite approach to photographing kidsâ€”including my own, which is toÂ capture them exactly as they are.

Yes, if I know Iâ€™m going to be taking photos, Iâ€™ll pay attention to what I dress them in and place them in a good location with good light, but I find the best and most meaningful photos are the ones I never could have planned or predicted.

After all, the best things in life are often unexpected.

This holiday season, amongst the hustle and bustle and chaos, use photography as the lens through which to look for and find real moments of quiet that you will treasure.

Look away from the center of activity to find the child quietly playing in the corner, whether engrossed in a new activity or playing with an old favorite toy. Take a moment outside of scheduled activities to notice your kids whispering quietly together, or playing happily side by side. Enjoy a moment after the kids are all finally asleep to capture some of the details of this timeâ€”the discarded wrapping paper or the ornament your two-year-old hung slightly askew on the lowest branch of the tree.

And when the celebrations are done, take the time to look through your photos of the day and see the joy and magic and excitement that you created for your family. Donâ€™t beat yourself up for what went wrongâ€”be gentle and kind to yourself and celebrate everything that you do not only during the holidays but every single day.

Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick is a family photographer and photography coach for parents with Photosanity. A former architect and interior designer, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and her two boys Liam, age six, and Jack, age three.

Alethea is on a mission to help parents more fully experience the precious fleeting moments of their childrenâ€™s lives through photography. Find her on http://photosanity.com